Functional Significance of Mirna-149 in Lung Cancer: Can it be Utilized as a Potential Biomarker or a Therapeutic Target?

Accumulating evidence has documented the significance of miR-149 as a promising tumor-suppressive non-coding RNA that play critical roles in regulating genes involved in cancer growth and metastasis. Notably, the ability of miR-149 to be utilized as a potential biomarker in the diagnosis/prognosis or a therapeutic target has also been explored using various cellular and preclinical models, as well as in clinical settings of lung cancer. While the applicability of miR-149 in assessing tumor progression has been suggested, its potential in predicting treatment outcomes is needed to be verified in diverse settings of lung cancer patients. The current review presents an overview of the functional significance of miR-149 with ongoing challenges in non-small cell lung cancer.

ANTIOXIDANTS EFFECTS IN CANCER SURVIVORS: A SHORT PERSPECTIVE

There have been intense debates on the use of antioxidants as neoadjuvant therapy or in combination with anti-cancer agents in the treatment of human malignancies. While the safety and effectiveness of commonly used dietary antioxidants have been thoroughly assessed during chemotherapy and radiation therapy in cancer patients, more detailed analysis of their effects are needed to define its potential use in cancer survivors. Here, we summarize the findings of few comprehensive studies that investigated the potential implications of antioxidants in cancer survivors.

Evidence of pathway-specific basophil anergy induced by peanut oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic children

BACKGROUND

In Westernized countries, over 1% of the population is allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, which carries a risk of severe allergic reactions. Several studies support the efficacy of peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) for reducing the clinical sensitivity of affected individuals; however, the mechanisms of this effect are still being characterized. One mechanism that may contribute is the suppression of effector cells, such as basophils. Basophil anergy has been characterized in vitro as a pathway-specific hyporesponsiveness; however, this has not been demonstrated to occur in vivo.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the hypothesis that basophil anergy occurs in vivo due to chronic allergen exposure in the setting of a clinical oral immunotherapy trial.

METHODS

Samples of peripheral blood were obtained from subjects during a placebo-controlled clinical trial of peanut OIT. Basophil reactivity to in vitro stimulation with peanut allergen and controls was assessed by the upregulation of activation markers, CD63 and CD203c, measured by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The upregulation of CD63 following stimulation of the IgE receptor, either specifically with peanut allergen or non-specifically with anti-IgE antibody, was strongly suppressed by active OIT. However, OIT did not significantly suppress this response in basophils stimulated by the distinct fMLP receptor pathway. In the subset of subjects with egg sensitization, active peanut OIT also suppressed CD63 upregulation in response to stimulation with egg allergen. Allergen OIT also suppressed the upregulation of CD203c including in response to stimulation with IL-3 alone.

CONCLUSION

Peanut OIT induces a hyporesponsive state in basophils that is consistent with pathway-specific anergy previously described in vitro. This suggests the hypothesis that effector cell anergy could contribute to clinical desensitization.